


Make You Clean

by TheRaven



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bonding, Fluff, M/M, Massage, mention of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1483342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRaven/pseuds/TheRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a particularly draining mission, Steve decides that Bucky needs a good, long bath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make You Clean

Since they found Bucky, what's left of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been in overdrive. And when Bucky comes out of therapy more or less himself again, they recruit him to the Avengers, because they need every advantage they can get in protecting the world. Steve looks out for him on the battlefield, when Bucky's not sniping people left and right before Steve can get to them. The Avengers quickly find out that the two of them make a really, really good team, and they start letting the two of them lead the offensive on missions.

It takes a toll on them, though. Steve, superpowered that he is, takes less time to recover, but it's not unusual for Bucky to finish a mission running on empty and beat half to hell, despite the bastardized serum in his veins. One such occasion happens during a particularly cold autumn week, during which Natasha almost gets her head blown off several times and Tony's suit experiences a catastrophic failure that leaves him a useless heap of metal on the street. Bruce is fine, as ever, but he has to carry Tony to safety before someone manages to get his armor off, and Clint runs out of arrows and has to fight in close quarters until he can get away from the melee. 

Thor seems as jovial as ever, of course. 

Steve half-drags Bucky back to Stark Tower. Bucky's cracked ribs are already mending themselves when they get there, and he's no longer coughing up blood, so Steve opts to skip medical and head straight to their floor. When he's standing unsteadily in their living room, looking ready to collapse, Steve puts an arm around his waist and steers him toward the bathroom.

“Come on,” he says. “Bath time. You look like hell, Buck.”

Bucky smiles wearily and lets Steve strip off his uniform piece by piece. He's used to this ritual by now, and he leans against Steve's shoulder when he's finished. Steve puts a hand on his waist and another on his shoulder and guides him to the gigantic bathtub Tony insisted on installing for them when he found out they were a couple. It's really more of a hot tub, and it has marble steps leading up to it and into it. Steve turns on the taps, sits Bucky at the edge of the tub, and starts combing through his hair for twigs and bits of debris that may have gotten caught in it.

Steve washes his face, arms, and hands with a warm, damp cloth and soap, because those are the filthiest parts of him right now, and he doesn't want the bathwater to get too dirty. Not that Bucky would mind; he's bathed in dirtier water than this would be. But Steve is insistent on it, so he lets him do it. When he's satisfied, he carefully sets the cloth in the clothes hamper and returns to Bucky, who feels a bit like he might fall into the bathtub.

Once the water is high enough, Steve shuts off the taps and eases Bucky into the water. Bucky sits there, kneeling and still neck-deep in water, while Steve pulls off his own uniform. There won't be any sex this time, but Bucky doesn't mind. The way Steve's hands massage shampoo that smells like flowers into his scalp and the warmth of the bath is more than enough for now. He leans into Steve, who laughs and pushes him upright again so he can better wash his hair.

Steve rinses his hair by having him duck his head under the water and ruffling his hair until they can't feel suds in it anymore, and then he massages the matching conditioner into his hair and lets it sit for the requisite three minutes before he rinses it out as well. Bucky closes his eyes and nearly drifts off to sleep during the treatment. Steve wakes him up with a kiss on the cheek, and he grabs a woodsy-scented bar of soap and another washcloth.

“Arm,” Steve commands, and Bucky obediently lifts his right arm out of the bath.

Steve takes his time with the soap and washcloth, sudsing him up and washing off the soap with cupped hands full of water. He massages the sore muscles as he works, starting with the hand and working his way up to the shoulder before moving to Bucky's back. The soap makes the whole bathroom smell amazing. Bucky nods off again while Steve massages the soap into his back, only waking up again when Steve is hauling him out of the water to work on his lower body.

He doesn't massage much there, but he carefully soaps him up and washes him down, pausing to knead his calves a little. Bucky is completely pliant in his arms, and Steve lets him lay against him in the bath for awhile while he just soaks. He doesn't clean the metal arm, because it's rust-proof and waterproof and generally unnecessary to do anything with except tune it up once in awhile. Bucky rests his metal hand on Steve's thigh and drifts off until Steve sees that their fingers are barely starting to prune.

Steve towels Bucky off with a gentle thoroughness. Bucky leans on the bathroom counter for support while he dries off his legs, grinning tiredly at him. But Steve isn't done yet. He takes a bottle of lotion to match the soap and slowly, methodically rubs it into his skin. Bucky melts again and has to sit down while Steve works his way down Bucky's legs.

“You're too good to me, Rogers,” Bucky sighs as Steve puts the lotion away.

“You're too good to me, too,” Steve says with a laugh.

Steve leads him to the bedroom and all but tucks him into bed. Promising to be back soon, he goes back to the bathroom and showers, because even a nice soak doesn't get rid of all the dirt. When he gets back, Bucky is asleep, but it doesn't matter. He wakes up when Steve climbs into bed next to him, and he looks blearily over at him with a smile on his face.

“You smell amazing,” Steve says, and Bucky laughs.

“Thanks to you,” he says and kisses him relatively chastely. “And really, thanks. I needed that.”

“I know you did,” Steve says. “Now get some sleep. Word is they need us again bright and early tomorrow to do a press thing.”

“Not another conference?” Bucky groans.

“They call it a 'panel,' I think,” Steve replies. “You don't have to talk if you don't want to.”

“For a team of superheroes,” Bucky grumbles, “we sure do a lot of press bullshit.”

“Gotta keep up the good image,” Steve tells him, smiling.

“It's still bullshit,” Bucky says sleepily.

“Go to sleep, Buck,” Steve says.

Bucky kisses him again and snuggles closer, closing his eyes. His breathing slows and deepens, and he falls asleep. Steve stays awake until the nightmares come, and he gently wakes Bucky and holds him until he falls asleep again. Only then does he let himself drift off to sleep, dreaming of Bucky's languid body and the smell of flowers in the forest.


End file.
